Prep concussion rates soar

FILE - This Aug. 4, 2012 file photo shows new football helmets that were given to a group of youth football players from the Akron Parents Pee Wee Football League, in Akron, Ohio. It's not just football. A new report says too little is known about concussion risks for young athletes, and it's not clear whether better headgear is an answer. The panel stresses wearing proper safety equipment. But it finds little evidence that current helmet designs, face masks and other gear really prevent concussions, as ads often claim. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
The Associated Press

FILE - This Aug. 4, 2012 file photo shows new football helmets that were given to a group of youth football players from the Akron Parents Pee Wee Football League, in Akron, Ohio. It's not just football. A new report says too little is known about concussion risks for young athletes, and it's not clear whether better headgear is an answer. The panel stresses wearing proper safety equipment. But it finds little evidence that current helmet designs, face masks and other gear really prevent concussions, as ads often claim. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

The average high school football player is nearly twice as likely to suffer a brain injury as a college football player.

That’s one of the harsh realities revealed in a study conducted by the National Academy of Sciences, whom released its 306-page report entitled Sports-Related Concussions in Youth: Improving the Science, Changing the Culture.

The study, which examines sports-related concussion in youth, determined that college football players suffer concussions at a rate of 6.3 concussions per 10,000 "athletic exposures." Each exposure represents a practice or game. High school football players, however, tally at a rate of 11.2 per exposure.

Overall, rates are more frequent among high school athletes in lacrosse, soccer, wrestling and baseball than in college. In addition, the report noted that 250,000 concussions were reported to emergency rooms in 2009 for people under age 19, up from 150,000 in 2001.

“Currently, there is a lack of data concerning the overall incidence of sports-related concussions in youth, although the number of reported concussions has risen over the past decade,” the report said.

It’s possible the increase resulted from more awareness and better recognition of head injuries, which allowed athletic trainers to identify the injuries appropriately.

"The findings of our report justify the concerns about sports concussions in young people," said Robert Graham, chair of the committee and director of the national program office for Aligning Forces for Quality at George Washington University.

"However, there are numerous areas in which we need more and better data. Until we have that information, we urge parents, schools, athletic departments, and the public to examine carefully what we do know, as with any decision regarding risk, so they can make more informed decisions about young athletes playing sports."

Perhaps, the most surprising finding debunks the idea that current helmet designs reduce the risk of concussions. According to the report, the committee found little evidence to support that, although helmets reduce risk of other injuries such as skull fractures and bleeding inside the skull.

And while more precautions have been taken to prevent concussions and to ensure that concussed athletes fully heal before playing again, the culture of sports negatively influences a player’s perspective on the injuries, according to the report.

“Athletes, their teammates, and, in some cases, coaches and parents may not fully appreciate the health threats posed by concussions,” the study said.

“Similarly, military recruits are immersed in a culture that includes devotion to duty and service before self, and the critical nature of concussions may often go unheeded.”

Reportedly, the typical recovery time for concussed high school athletes is about two weeks, where symptoms will likely disappear, however, in 10 to 20 percent of cases, concussed athletes continue to experience symptoms anywhere from weeks to months to years, according to the report.

Through its findings, the National Academy of Sciences concluded one thing: the research about youth concussions is limited.

To address the lack of knowledge, the committee urged the establishment of a national surveillance system to accurately determine the number of sports-related concussions and the study of changes in the brain following concussions in youth, among others.